The first half of the year ended in the red for the BMW Group. Worldwide deliveries fell by 4.2% to around 1.156 million cars, and only one of the group’s three car brands managed to increase volumes: MINI.
Deliveries by brand: MINI the only BMW Group winner
The British marque posted an 11.7% rise in deliveries, reaching 149,535 units. The other group brands, along with the Motorrad division, all recorded declines.
BMW saw deliveries drop by 6.2% to roughly one million cars, while Rolls-Royce slipped by 9.8% to 2,523 units. Finally, the motorcycle division fell by 2.9%, with 102,847 bikes delivered.
Revenues and profits down
The slowdown in sales was also reflected in the group’s financial results. Revenue decreased by 8% to €62.2 billion. The automotive department saw the biggest fall (-7.4%), generating €54.3 billion in revenue, while the motorcycle division declined by 3.3% (to €1.7 billion) and financial services was broadly steady (-0.6%, with €19.9 billion in revenue).
Net profit was down 28.5% compared with the same period last year, €2.8 billion less than in the year-earlier period. Operating profit (EBIT) dropped by 37.4% to €3.6 billion.
“Compared with the same period of the previous year, the result was impacted by the negative market performance in China, higher depreciation and amortisation, as well as exchange-rate volatility and commodity prices, which could only be partially offset by cost reductions,” the brand explained.
What to expect?
Despite the weaker first-half performance, the BMW Group kept its 2026 guidance unchanged. The company continues to expect a slight reduction in global deliveries versus last year, acknowledging that competitive pressure-especially in China-will continue to weigh on business performance.
In the automotive segment, BMW is forecasting an operating margin (EBIT) between 1% and 3%-a figure revised down about a month ago-well below the levels seen in recent years. This reflects the impact of the price war, customs tariffs in the US and the European Union, and higher costs linked to the technology transition.
Workforce restructuring plans
Pressure on the business is not expected to ease in the coming months. In addition to anticipating a slight drop in deliveries in 2026, the BMW Group is preparing to move ahead with a wide-ranging workforce restructuring programme.
Agreed with the works council, the plan includes a mutual-termination scheme and follows the sharp contraction in the Chinese market alongside an increasingly challenging operating environment. Implementation is expected to begin after the summer. Find out more:
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